Storage-tank.



J. A. TILLMAN.-

STORAGE TANK.

4 APPLICATION FILED 1,111.5, 1911.

1,012,937. l 1 Patented 116112111911.v

2 SHEETS-sumar 1.

@mmh

J. A. ULLMAN.

STORAGE TANK. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 5, 1911. 1,012,937. u Patented-Dec.26, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

UM WW@ -JAMEs A. JLLMAN, or NEW YoEK, N. Y.

STORAGE-TANK.

Specication of Letters Patent. application ined January 5, 1911. serial No. 601,007.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. ULLMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage-Tanks, of which the following is a specification'.

My invention has particular reference to the storage tanks of automobiles, motor boats, and the like, and the object of the invention is to 4give warning of the. near .exhaustion of the liquid fuel and at the same time to provide a reserve supply of fuel, available for use after the main supply is exhausted.l Thel invention is, however, not limited to this particular use.

Another object of the invention is to give knowledge of the amount of liquid or fuel in the tank, and in some cases to show the amount of liquid which has been used or withdrawn from the tank.

In its preferred form the invention consists of a storage tank and outlet conduit leadingtherefrom, the outlet conduit'having its -highest point normally disposed above the level of the bottom of the tank, so that the liquid will How through the conduit until the level in the tank reaches the level of the conduit, whereby a portion of the liquid will be held in reserve in the bottom of the tank, and the conduit being adapted then to be lowered so as to permit this reserve supply to be used. The outlet conduit may be in the form of simple pipe connections and the height of the conduit may be raised and lowered with respect to the bottom of the tank` by interpos-l ing a movable arched portion inthe pipeconnections. This arched portion, which regulates the true height of the conduit and thus determines the amount of-the reserve supply, may be swiveled or otherwise connected in the outlet pipe or conduit so as to permit .of the required movement. If no provision to the contrary were made, the arched portion of the conduit might act as a Siphon to drain the tank of its'contents. Means are provided therefore to obviate any siphonage tendency.- This result may be and preferably is attained by placing a vent in the pipe connections which form the out.

let froml the tank. I This vent must of course be located at a point higher, or at least as high as the highest point reached bythe liquid in the tank, and for this reason the vent maybe carried in the top of a stand pipe which is in connection with the pipe connections and rises to a point approXi mately as high as the top of the tank. This vent vwould ordinarily open to the atmosphere, but when a pressure system is ernployed, the vent would open into the top portion of the tank, substantially yas shown in a co-pending applicationof mine Serial v -Another feature of my invention consists in utilizing thisstandpipe as a gage for indicating the contents -of the tank. I prefer therefore to make the stand pipe of a tube of glass or other transparent material, and associate with this transparent tube, a gage or scale plate having suitable indications thereon. Two such sets of indications are preferably placed on the gage plate, one set denoting the amount of liquid in the tank, and the other set denoting the amount of liquid which has been withdrawn from the tank.

Still another object of my invention is to insure of the parts ,being properly positioned, each time the tank is filled, to maintain a reserve supply in the'tank. This object I preferably attain by providing cooperative passages betwecn the stand pipe and the movable part of the pipe `connections, so that communication with the stand pipe lWill be cut off when the movable part or arched portion of the pipe connections is moved lto permit use of the reserve supply. Then the next time the tank is filled, the arched portion will have to be turned up toA the reserve holding position, in order to open communication to the stand' pipe and permit the iniiowing liquid to reg-` ister on the gagel Various other features will appear as lthe specification proceeds.

My invention is capable of many modifications., and while I have illustrated in the'4 accompanying drawings several preferred embodiments of-the same, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therefrom without de-` parting from the'spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention `as applied to a tank,

' the tank being shown 1n section. The full elevation of this form of the invention.

' ered position.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showing the movable member in the upper 'reserve holding position. Fig. 4 is a like view of the same with the movable member in the low- Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of a modified form of the invention. Fig. 7 is a view partially in section of a modified form of the invention. Fig. 8 is a view of another modification.

Like reference charactersv refer to like parts throughout the several views.

No special form of tank is necessary Awith my invention and I have therefore shown the invention as applied to a tank 1 of ordinary construction. The outlet conduit or pipe connections 2 are connected with either the bottom or the lower portion of the tank and extend to the engine or other point of consumption. In these pipe connections there is disposed a movable part, preferably in the form of an arched member or portion 3, the said member adapted to be raised and loweredwith respect to the bottom of the tank. To permit of this movement, this member is suitably jointed to the pipe connections. This joint may be made by means of a swiveled connection, as shown in the rst five figures, or any other suitable form of joint may be employed, suchas the telescoping first instance, the joint may be effected by providing a stationary member 4 in which a .cylindrical portion 5 of the arched member is revolubly received. An inlet 6 and anv outlet 7 are provided in the stationary iX- ture 4, and openings or ports 8 are provided in the revoluble portion of the movable member communicating with the said inlet 4and outlet. A partition or wall V9 is formed in the journal portion of the movable member to prevent the liquid flowing from the inlet to the outlet Without first` passing all the way through the member.

. Under ordinary running conditions, the

movable member or arched portion stands in its upper position so that the liquid is forced to traverse the loop or arch before passing to theloutlet. When the liquid in-the tank falls to the level of the top ofthe arched portion, it will, in the absence of siphonage action, ceasel flowing, thereby giving warning to the operator of the near exhaustion lof the liquid. The movable member is then turned'to its lower position, in which position the maximum height of the conduit is connection shown in Fig. 6. In the rsubstantially even with the bottom of the tank. This permits the reserve supply of -fuel or liquid to flow out through the conduit. 'The arched portion need not be turned all the way downit may be turned only ninety degrees, as shown in dotted' .lines in Fig. 1.

As before stated, the outlet. conduit is preferably provided with a vent 10 to obviate any tendency toward siphonage action. This vent is, as shown, preferably placed in the top of a stand pipe 11, which stand pipe rises to a level substantially even with. the

top of the tank. A convenient method of mounting the stand'pipe is to have it carried by the stationary fixture 4, as show n.

When the arched portion is in its normal upper position, the liquid iiows to the stand pipe by way of the .port 12in the revoluble part of the movable member. This port vis 35 preferably so disposed that when the movj able member is turned down to'permit use of the reserve supply, communication tothe stand pipe will becut ot'f. This necessitates the movable member being turned up to the reserve-holding position before the liquid can register in the -gage glass. When filling the tank, therefore, before the amount of liquid in the tank can be ascertained, -it is necessary to turn the arched portion up to the reserve-holding position.

Associated with the transparent stand pipe there is a scale or gage plate 13. `The gage plate is preferably provid d on one side with a set of indications 14 denoting the iop amount of liquid in ,the tank, and with a set ofindications 15 on the other side serving to'denote the amount of liquid which has been withdrawn from the tank.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a modication .of my invention in which the raising and lowering of the outlet conduit is accomplished by making the arched portion with two parallel side members 16 in sliding engagement with the cylindrical members '17 110 disposed in the conduit connections. The reserve supply is held and released with this form of the invention the same as in the form just described. lf desired also, an interlocking arrangement may be devised with this form, whereby the arched port-ion will have to be raised to its reserve holding position before the liquid can flow to the gage.

Various other forms 'of interlocking devices, whereby the device is rendered eompletely operative only after the reserve holding means has been set in proper position, may be devised. lhave shown my invention as attached directly to thetank itself, but the position of the device may of course be Varied to suit different conditions. For

instance, it might be mounted on' the dash-- board of an automobile.

The modified 'form of the invention illustrated in FigQ? is Very much similar to the 13G o'neshown in Figs. l and 2 except that lhere 'parts are shown in section to better illustrate the circulation of the iuid.

In themodilication illustrated in Fig. 8, the `movable portion consists simply of a looped member 18 which has its ends swiveled at 19 in the stationary pipe connections 20. The action of this form of device is the same as already described.

What is claimed, is:

l. In combination with a storage tank, means for maintaining a` reserve supply of fluid therein, comprising pipe connections forming an outlet from the tank, the said pipe connections normally rising to a point above the level of the bottom of the tank whereby the liquid will flow through the pipe connections until the liquid in the tank reaches the-level of the .highest point of the pipe connections, wherebya reserve supply is created 1in the bottom of the tank,` astand pipe` rising from the pipe connections and provid'ed with a vent in its upper end to prevent siphonage, andthe said pipe connections adapted to be lowered to a lower level to permitthe reserve supply in the bottorn' of the tank to flow through the pipe connections'.- f y 2.',In combination with a storage tank,

pipe connections forming an outlet there-L from, a stanti pipe rising from the pipe connections, provided'with a vent in its upper end, anda movable part in the said pipe connections adapted to `be raised and lowered `with respect to the bottom of the tank.

' e 3. In combination with va storage tank,

1,' pipe-connections forming an outlet therefrom, a transparent' stand pipe for indicating the contents of the tank, rising from the pipe connections and normally in communi- .cation therewith, means for shutting olf. the

stand pipe from communication lwiththe pipe connections, and the pipe connections adapted to be moved for altering the level of the 'pipe connections.'- 4. lIn, combination with a storage tank, pipe-connections forming an outlet therefrom', and adapte' to be raised and'lowered ,to change the level of such pipe connections,

a stand pipe serving as a gage' to indicate the: contents of the tank, rising from the pipe connections a'nd normally in communication therewith, and means for establish-V ing and cutting olf communication between the pipe vconnections and stand pipe simultaneously with the raising and the lowering of the pipe connections. e 5. In vcombination with a storage tank, pipe connections from the tank, rising normally to apoint above the level of the botof the tank, a transparent stand vpipe for indicating the contents of the tank, rising lfrom the pipe connection'sfand provided with a vent in its upper end, said stand pipe being normally in communication with the ,pipe connections, the said pipe connections being movable for the purpose of lowering the level of the pipe connections, and means for shutting oli' communication between the pipeA connections and stand pipe simultaneously with the movement of the pipe connections.

6. In combination, a storage'tank, pipe connections leading therefrom, an arched portion movably disposed in the said pipe connections, capable of being raised and lowered, and said pipe connections being provided with a vent to prevent siphonage through the arched portion aforesaid.

7. In combination, a storage tank, pipe connections leading therefrom, an arched portion swiveled in said pipe connections to permit of its being raised and lowered with respect to the bottom of the tank, a stand pipe connected with the arched portion, and the said stand pipe being provided with a vent to prevent siphonage through the arched portion aforesaid.

8. In combination, a storage tank, pipe connections leadin therefrom, an arched portion movably disposed in the said pipe connections, capable of being raised and lowered, and means for preventing siphonportion swiveled in ysaid pipe connections to permit of its being lraised and lowered with respect to the bottom of the tank, and a stand pipe rising from the pipe connections provided with a vent in its upper end.

10.v In` combination, a storage tank, :pipe connections leading therefrom, a stand pipe forming a gage for indicating the contents of the tank, rising from the saidpipe connections, an arched portion connected in the pipe connections'by a swivel joint to'. permit of its being raised and lowered with respect to the bottom of the tank, and passages controlled by said swiveled arched portion whereby as said arched'porti'on is moved in one' direction, communication will be established between the stand pipe and'pipe con-l nections and when the. arched portion is moved inthe opposite direction, communication will besluit oil' between. the stand pipe and pipe connections.

1l. The combination with a storage tank,

of means for maintaining a reserve supply of liquid therein comprising pipe connec'- `tom of the tank so' that the liq'uid'will How through the pipe connections until the liquid in theltank reaches the level of the highest part of the pipe connections, thus creating a reserve'supply in the'bottom of the tank,

and the movable part adapted when lowered New f York and State of New York this tpl permit th reserve jmpply to fioW thrigh thirty-first day of December A. D. 1910. t e same an means or reventin si onnge action through the nippvable pagrt gf the JAMES A' ULLMAN' 5 pipe connections when it is in its elevated, Viitnesses:

position. ALBERT NATHAN,

Signed at New York city, in the County of L. H. FREUND. 

